sow seeds of charity on the backs and bel- lies of the poor, which perhaps thou ne- glectest. So that to bring scripture to up- hold thee in thy sin, is an high profaning of scripture, and a taking of God's name in vain. Second instance : if vve tell a man of his inordinate passions, — that he may be drunk as well with rash anger, as wine, — he will bring scri])ture to justify it : " Doth not the word say, ' Be angry and sin not,' " Eph. iv, 26. 'Tis true that anger is good which is mixed with zeal; then anger is without sin, when it is against sin; but thou dost sin in thine anger, — thou speak- est unadvisedly with thy lips, — thy tongue is set on fire of hell, and to bring scripture to defend thy sin is to profane scripture, and to take God's name in vain.
4. They abuse the word, and take God's name in vain, who adulterate the word, and wrest it in a wrong sense. Such are he- retics, who put their own gloss upon scrip- ture, and make it speak that Avhich the Holy Ghost never meant. For instance, first, when we expound those texts literally which are meant figuratively. Thus the Pharisees were guilty, when God said in the law, " Thou shalt bind the command- ments for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes,'' Deut. vi. 8. The Pharisees took it in a li- teral sense ; they got two scrolls of parch- ment, whereon they wrote the two tables, putting one on their left arras, and binding the other to their eyebrows, thus they wrested the scripture and took God's name in vain. That scripture was to be under- stood spiritually and by a figure : God meant, by binding his laws upon their hands that they should meditate on his law, and put it in practice ; and so the pji- pists ex]K)und that scripture, " This is my body," literally, of the very body of Christ ; then, when Christ gave the bread, he should have had two bodies, one in the bread, and the other out of the bread, whereas Christ meant it figuratively, it is a sign of my bo- dy. Thus they, by wresting the scripture to a wrong sense, profane it, and take tiod's name in vain. 2dly, Wlien we exi)ound those scriptures figuratively and allcgori- cally which the Holy Ghost means literal- ly. For example, Christ said to Peter,
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OF THE THIRD COMMANDMENT.
" Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught/' Luke v. 4. This text is spoken in a plain, literal sense of launching out the ship ; but the papists take it in a mystical and allegorical. This text proves, say they, that the pope — which is Peter's successor — shall launch forth, and catch the ecclesiastical and political power over the west parts of the world. This, say they, was meant when Christ bade Pe- ter launch out into the deep. But I think the papists have launched out too far be- yond the meaning of the text. When men strain their wits to wrest the word to such a sense as pleaseth them, they do profane God's word, and highly take his name in vain.
A. 7. We take God's name in vain, when we swear by his name. Many seldom name God's name but in oaths; for this sin the land mourns. Mat. v. 34., " Swear not at all," tiiat is, rashly and sinfully, so as take God's name in vain ; not but that in some cases it is lawful to take an oath before a magistrate, Deut. vi. 13., " Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God and serve him, and swear by his name," — Heb. vi. 16., " an oath for confirmation is to them the end of all strife ;" but when Christ saith, " swear not at all," he forbids such a swearing as takes God's name in vain. There is a threefold swear- ing forbidden :
I. Vain-swearing; when men in their ordinary discourse let fly oaths. Some will go to excuse their swearing. It is a coarse wool that will take no dye, and a bad sin indeed that hath no excuse.
Excuse. 1. I swear little trifling oaths; as ' Faith,' or, ' By the mass.' Ans. The devil hath two false glasses which he sets before men's eyes : the one is a little glass in which the sin appears so small that it can hardly be seen, tliis glass the devil sets before men's eyes when they are going to commit sin, — the other is a great magnify- ing glass, wherein sin ai)pc'ars so big that it cannot be forgiven, the devil sets tiiis be- fore men's eyes when they have sinned. Thou that sayest, sin is small, when God shall open the eye of thy conscience, then thou wilt see it great, and be ready to des- pair. But to answer this plea, thou sayest, they are but small oaths, but Christ for-
bids Aain oaths, " Swear not at all.'* If God will reckon with us for idle words, shall not idle oaths be put in the account- book ?